New Companion
by narwhalsandkurt
Summary: The Doctor has a new companion - Rachel Tracey.


_I'm lonely,_ I thought one day – well, one day, but many days, normally Sundays – _I'm very lonely. I'm all alone. I miss Amy. I miss Rory. Blimey… I even miss Harkness!_

Well, I'd been lonely for a while. Amy died, Rory died, and I was left all alone with my fish custard and my TARDIS. Nary a companion in sight… I'd had a dream Rose was with me… it made both my hearts ache. I didn't like it very much – it's bad when one hurts, but both?

Oh, but I guessed I'd find a companion… or two… they wouldn't be near as cool as the Ponds, though. The Ponds were cooler than bow ties, fezzes and Stetsons.

Well, I was bored, and sad, and bored – it's bad when I'm bored, we all know that – so I jumped in my TARDIS and flew off somewhere, anywhere, just looking for people who might want to run with me.

Of course, at that same moment… Daleks. Lots of Daleks. I had a need for a companion… and fast.

The TARDIS dropped me in some person's backyard – a woman looked out the window. She was brunette, and she had brown eyes. I hopped out and yelled,

"Run for your life!"

Thankfully, the woman complied, and we ran. She was a particularly good runner – for someone in their pajamas.

_She'll be brilliant when she's in regular clothes, _I thought. _ If she survives tonight._

"_EXTERMINATE!"_ Yelled a scary, mechanical voice behind us.

"WHAT ARE THOSE?" the woman yelled.

"Daleks," I replied smoothly. "I'll explain more at a later time, just keep running! That's it, zig-zag, don't be hit by the lasers-"

"LASERS?!"

"Well, yeah… the Daleks have lasers… oh, do keep running,"

"YOU'RE MAD!"

"Well, yeah… a mad man with a blue box… KEEP RUNNING! OH, come on then, come this way…" I led her to a safer place. We'd lost the Daleks.

"What… what…?"

"What is your name?" I asked.

"I… Rachel. What's going on? Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"Exactly."

Rachel looked really confused – they all did, at first - so I had to ask,

"Do you like fish custard?"

"What?"

"Fish custard. Fish fingers and custard. It's quite tasty."

"Never tried it…"

"Well, you will," I said, and then the Daleks screamed once more.

"_EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"_

"Oh, they're mad, aren't they? Mad… angry…" Rachel trailed off.

"Mechanical?" I suggested.

"Yeah, that too," She said. "Run?"

"Yes."

And we ran. We continued running well into the night. I snuck up behind a Dalek and "opened" its head with my screwdriver.

"What is that?" Rachel asked.

"It's my sonic screwdriver," I told her. "We'll be needing it."

"…Okay…"

"Well, Rachel… you've survived the first few hours," I said.

"What does that mean?"

"You're my new companion! Go on to the TARDIS wardrobe, get dressed – I'll be waiting in the control room."

Rachel looked extremely perplexed as I opened the door to my TARDIS.

Rachel gasped. "Wow… it's bigger on the inside!"

"Yeah, that's the glory of it - Time Lord technology. You'll come to really appreciate it, especially in the coming time…"

Rachel ran off to the TARDIS wardrobe, and I waited in the control room. I ran a hand through my hair, wondering how overcome by clothes Rachel was by then.

"Oi, Rachel," I called.

"Yeah?"

"Wot's your last name?"

"Tracey."

"Rachel Tracey…" I muttered to myself. "My new companion. Blimey, I hope I don't end up replacing Amy… although, Amy kind of replaced Rose…"

Suddenly, I was sad again. No matter how many companions I have, I'll always be the loneliest man in all space and time. No matter what, I'll always remember how it felt when Rose had to leave. No matter what, I'll never forget the pain of the Ponds dying. I'll always remember Harkness… Captain Jack…

"Doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"There's a scarf three times my size, really old looking dress robes, and… this…" She held up my fez.

"That's my fez. Fezzes are cool," I said. "Remember – dress to run."

Rachel nodded and went back into the wardrobe, coming back out a few minutes later dressed in yoga pants, a light jacket, and converse, with her hair pulled up in a ponytail.

"Ready?" I asked. Rachel nodded. "Okay then. Hold on… hold on to the control panel, Rachel… this thing… yeah… GERONIMO!"


End file.
